Joint MOTION to Continue Pretrial Motion Deadline and Pretrial Conference with Brief… — USA v. Thomas et al (Dkt. 411)

Summary

An Unopposed Joint Motion to Continue Pretrial Motion Deadline and Pretrial Conference, Document 411, filed 01/13/22 in United States of America v. Meghan Thomas et al., Criminal Action No. 1:20-CR-296-JPB-CMS, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division. The defendants, through counsel, ask the Court to continue the pretrial motion deadline and pretrial conference, currently scheduled for January 17 and 19, 2022, for a period of 60 days, to March 14, 2022. The motion states that discovery is voluminous, in excess of 50GB and approximately 200,000 digital files, and that the government does not oppose the request. It asks that the delay be excluded under the Speedy Trial Act and is dated the 13th day of January, 2022, with signature blocks including /s/ R. Gary Spencer.

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA 
ATLANTA DIVISION 
 
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
v. 
 
MEGHAN THOMAS, 
JESIKA BLAKELY, 
TELDRIN FOSTER 
AMANDA CHRISTIAN, 
DWAN ASHONG, A/K/A DWAN GILPIN, 
JOHN GAINES, A/K/A MARTY GAINES, 
JERRY BAPTISTE, 
CARLA JACKSON, 
DEREK PARKER, 
RYAN WHITTLEY, AND 
RICK McDUFFIE 
 
Criminal Action No. 
 
1:20-CR-296-JPB-CMS 
 
 
 
UNOPPOSED JOINT MOTION TO CONTINUE PRETRIAL MOTION 
DEADLINE AND PRETRIAL CONFERENCE 
 
Defendants Meghan Thomas, Jesika Blakely, Teldrin Foster, Amanda 
Christian, Dwan Ashong, a/k/a Dwan Gilpin, John Gaines, a/k/a Marty Gaines, 
Jerry Baptiste, Carla Jackson, Derek Parker, Ryan Whittley, and Rick McDuffie, 
by and through undersigned counsel, (collectively “Defendants”) respectfully file 
this Unopposed Joint Motion to Continue the Pretrial Motion Deadline and the 
Pretrial Conference currently scheduled for January 17 and 19, 2022, respectively, 
for a period of 60 days, showing the Court as follows: 
Case 1:20-cr-00296-JPB-CMS     Document 411     Filed 01/13/22     Page 1 of 7

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1. 
With the exception of Defendant Foster, a grand jury sitting in the 
Northern District of Georgia returned the above-referenced indictment against 
Defendants in July 2021 (Doc. 135).  The grand jury superseded such indictment to 
add Defendant Foster on August 10, 2021 (Doc. 290).  None of the Defendants are 
in custody.  The Second Superseding Indictment alleges multiple fraud and money 
laundering schemes involving over a dozen allegedly fraudulent CARES Act 
Paycheck Protection Program loan applications submitted to various lenders by 
different businesses (Id.). 
2. 
Counsel for the Defendants, with two exceptions, were appointed by 
the Court in this case pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act of 1964, 18 U.S.C. 
§ 3006A (Doc. 246). 
3. 
Counsel for the Defendants have received the government’s initial 
discovery production, which is voluminous (in excess of 50GB and approximately 
200,000 digital files) and have been reviewing such voluminous discovery.  Such 
discovery includes multiple email accounts, bank accounts, loan files, and recorded 
interviews, among other matters. 
4. 
The court-ordered deadline for the filing of pretrial motions is January 
17, 2022, and the pretrial conference is scheduled for January 19, 2022 (Doc. 389). 
5. 
Defendants respectfully request that the Court continue the pretrial 
conference and pretrial motion deadline for 60 days to afford counsel for 
Case 1:20-cr-00296-JPB-CMS     Document 411     Filed 01/13/22     Page 2 of 7

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Defendants additional time to continue to review and analyze the discovery, 
continue to confer with the prosecutors, assess any necessary pretrial motions, 
evaluate potential pretrial resolutions, and continue to confer with and advise their 
clients. 
6. 
Defendants further request that any delay caused by the requested 
extension be excluded from Speedy Trial Act computations because there is good 
cause for the extension, a continuance is needed to allow reasonable time necessary 
for effective representation to prevent a miscarriage of justice, and the ends of 
justice in granting the extension outweigh the public’s and the defendant’s interests 
in a speedy trial. See 18 U.S.C. §§ 3161(h)(7)(A), 3161(h)(7)(B)(i)&(iv). 
7. 
Only one prior continuance has been requested or obtained.  
8. 
Counsel has conferred with counsel for the government regarding the 
requested 60-day continuance, and the government has stated that it does not 
oppose this request.   
WHEREFORE, Defendants respectfully requests that Court extend the 
pretrial motion deadline in this case for sixty (60) days, to March 14, 2022, and 
reschedule the pretrial conference for some date thereafter that is agreeable to the 
Court and the parties. 
Case 1:20-cr-00296-JPB-CMS     Document 411     Filed 01/13/22     Page 3 of 7

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Respectfully submitted, this 13th day of January, 2022. 
/s/ R. Gary Spencer 
 
 
R. Gary Spencer 
Georgia Bar No. 671905 
R. Gary Spencer, P.C. 
1411 S. Gordon Street SW 
Atlanta, Georgia 30310-2331 
(404) 549-8782 (Phone) 
(888) 572-1831 (Facsimile) 
gary@rgaryspencer.com  
 
Counsel to Meghan Thomas 
 
/s/ Victoria Ivory  
 
 
Victoria Ivory 
Georgia Bar No. 946211 
Victoria Ivory, Attorney at Law, P.C. 
1366 Lakeview East Drive SE 
Atlanta, Georgia 30316 
(404) 422-6569 (Phone) 
victorialivory@gmail.com  
 
Counsel to Jesika Blakely 
 
/s/ Leigh Ann Webster 
 
 
Leigh Ann Webster 
Georgia Bar No. 968087 
Strickland Webster, LLC -Atl 
Suite 510-203 
830 Glenwood Ave., S.E. 
Atlanta, Georgia 30316 
(404) 590-7967 (Phone) 
law@stricklandwebster.com  
 
Counsel to Teldrin Foster 
 
/s/ James Gabriel Banks  
 
James Gabriel Banks 
Georgia Bar No. 721945 
Banks Weaver LLC 
100 Peachtree Street 
Suite 260 
Atlanta, Georgia 30303 
(404) 891-9280 (Phone) 
(404) 891-9283 (Facsimile) 
gabe@banksweaver.com  
 
Counsel to Amanda Christian 
 
Case 1:20-cr-00296-JPB-CMS     Document 411     Filed 01/13/22     Page 4 of 7

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/s/ Richard Randall Kuritz 
 
Richard Randall Kuritz 
Florida Bar. No. 0972540 
Bedell & Kuritz 
200 E. Forsyth Street 
P.O. Box 56618, 32241 
Jacksonville, Florida 32202 
(904) 355-1999 (Phone) 
Pro Hac Vice  
 
/s/ Lynsey Morris Barron  
 
Lynsey Morris Barron 
Georgia Bar No. 661005 
Miller & Martin PLLC 
1180 W. Peachtree Street NW 
Suite 2100 
Atlanta, Georgia 30309 
(404) 962-6413 (Phone) 
lynsey.Barron@millermartin.com  
 
Counsel to Dwan Ashong, a/k/a Dwan 
Gilpin 
 
/s/ Paul M. Cognac 
 
 
Paul M. Cognac 
Georgia Bar No. 173334 
Law Office of Paul Cognac 
Suite 106 
312 Crosstown Road 
Peachtree City, Georgia 30269 
(678) 826-6186 (Phone) 
(770) 631-7055 (Facsimile) 
Email: pmcognac@gmail.com  
 
Counsel to John Gaines, a/k/a Marty 
Gaines 
/s/ Douglas W. Gilfillan  
 
Douglas W. Gilfillan 
Georgia Bar No. 294713 
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP 
Suite 2800 
1100 Peachtree Street NE 
Atlanta, Georgia 30309 
(404) 815-6019 (Phone) 
(404) 795-9047 (Facsimile) 
dgilfillan@kilpatricktownsend.com  
 
Counsel to Jerry Baptiste 
 
/s/ David D. Marshall 
 
 
David D Marshall 
Georgia Bar No. 471517 
David D. Marshall, Attorney at Law 
Suite 225 
2550 Sandy Plains Road 
PMB 349 
Marietta, Georgia 30066 
(404) 213-1358 (Phone) 
(678) 868-2241 (Facsimile) 
ddmarshall98@gmail.com  
 
Counsel to Carla Jackson 
 
Case 1:20-cr-00296-JPB-CMS     Document 411     Filed 01/13/22     Page 5 of 7

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/s/ Raymond Joseph Burby, IV  
Raymond Joseph Burby , IV 
Georgia Bar No. 094503 
Alston & Bird LLP 
1201 W. Peachtree Street 
Suite 4900 
Atlanta, Georgia 30309 
(404) 881-7670 (Phone) 
(404) 881-7777 (Facsimile) 
joey.burby@alston.com  
 
Counsel to Ryan Whittley 
 
/s/ David M. Chaiken 
 
 
David M. Chaiken 
Georgia Bar No. 118618 
ChaikenLaw Ltd. 
One Atlantic Center 
1201 W. Peachtree Street 
Suite 2300 
Atlanta, Georgia 30309 
(404) 795-5005 (Phone) 
david@chaiken.law  
 
Counsel to Rick McDuffie 
/s/ Kamal Ghali 
 
 
 
Kamal Ghali 
Georgia Bar No. 805055 
Bondurant Mixson & Elmore, LLP 
1201 West Peachtree Street, N.W. 
3900 One Atlantic Center 
Atlanta, Georgia 30309-3417 
(404) 881-4173 (Phone) 
(404) 881-4111 (Facsimile) 
ghali@bmelaw.com  
 
Counsel to Derek Parker 
 
 
 
 
 
Case 1:20-cr-00296-JPB-CMS     Document 411     Filed 01/13/22     Page 6 of 7

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 
 
I hereby certify that the foregoing document was electronically filed with the 
Clerk of Court using the CM/ECF system, which automatically serves notification 
of such filing to all counsel of record, including: 
Tal C. Chaiken 
Assistant United States Attorney 
Nathan P. Kitchens 
Assistant United States Attorney 
U.S. Attorney’s Office 
75 Ted Turner Drive, Suite 600 
Atlanta, GA 30303 
 
This 13th day of January, 2022. 
/s/ Douglas W. Gilfillan 
Douglas W. Gilfillan 
Georgia Bar No. 294713 
dgilfillan@kilpatricktownsend.com 
 
 
Case 1:20-cr-00296-JPB-CMS     Document 411     Filed 01/13/22     Page 7 of 7

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